Arganese Connecticut Presidente Robusto (5x50)

This cigar was a free sample stick from the nice folks at Famous Smoke Shop; tossed into the box with a past order. I was impressed with their generosity until I found out that the Arganese original blend was being discontinued and no longer on the market, so I guess they were trying to get rid of them. Anyway, according to their [Arganese] website, what really makes Arganese Cigars different from other Dominican cigar brands is they “only use 100% first generation Cuban seed tobacco grown in their own fields in authentic Cuban-style growing methods.” They also boast that Arganese Cigars were named one of the top 10 cigars in the world in the Robb Report’s Fine Cigars & Fine Living and featured on the Jay Leno show! (Perhaps, but I don’t subscribe to the Robb Report, and I'll take Letterman over Leno any day.) Anyway, this Connecticut Robusto had been patiently lingering in my humidor for well over a year. A recent weekend spent at the cottage found me sitting at the Tiki bar on our second-floor deck and drinking beers with my brother-in-law. Looking out over the marshlands and enjoying the evening, I decided it would be a perfect time to see what this Robusto – my first Arganese ever I might add – had to offer.

Pre-cut/pre-light inspection ceremony presented a light-brown cigar with a dry, papery wrapper. It was lightweight and had an almost delicate feel to it. The band was a somewhat ominous-looking affair with shades of black surrounded by gold trim. The center containing a red-and-blue crest of some sort with a moon and stars, a knights bascinet helmet, a crown, and finally two figures doing something or other that I can’t quite make out. (I’m still not sure what it all signifies but it looks pretty dang cool in my cigar band journal.) I slowly ran the stick under my nose and took a whiff. (I like to think of this as “foreplay”.) The olfactory profile was unremarkable for the most part - all the normal smells of cedar and my well-maintained humidor. My trusty Montecristo Samurai cutter sliced through the head with scalpel-like precision. I took a cold draw… The full-bodied cigar greeted me with notes of creamy vanilla and wisps of leather. Unfortunately, the pre-light draw also greeted me with a mouthful of short filler. Most disturbing. Beer in hand and my customary hubcap-sized ashtray in front of me, I settled in and lit the fuse…

Ah sweet nectar, once again I suckle at your teat ™! Checkered flag puffs were ambiguous as the cigar started out undecidedly. I continued to get more than the normal bits of short filler tobacco in my mouth, which annoyed me. After a few minutes cedar notes were threatening to kick in. It is at this stage, fellow enthusiasts, I am obliged to point out the serious issues I was having with the burn: The ash was very loose and flaky, and oddly enough even had little fingers of ash protruding off at various right angles (the technical term for this is called: flowering). Little cinders would then break free and flutter all over the place and it was really making a mess. The burn line was thick and uneven and needed constant touch-ups. It did not seem to affect the draw so much, but aesthetically it was a real debacle and was putting a damper on my smoking experience. In any event, I trudged along into the so-called sweet spot, and I have to say I was not impressed with this supposedly full-bodied cigar. It was a witches brew of flavors - I could detect coffee, vanilla, leather, pepper… but with no rhyme nor reason... no balance to any of it. And still the ash continued to come apart like a cheap Piñata. Down the home stretch I got frustrated and decided to tap-out. I had already eaten an appetizer of short filler and my lap looked like someone dumped an ashtray in it. So with about ¼ of the stick left I put it out of its (and my) misery. (Not to worry – I always have several back-up cigars in my travel humi.)

To sum up: What can I say? I am glad this cigar was free! Sadly, I was disappointed with my first Arganese experience, especially since I have buried somewhere in my humidor their cigar called the “Cugine!” [Italian for “cousin”; in honor of Joe “Vito” Gannascoli of Soprano’s fame], that I have been saving for a special occasion. Perhaps this cigar was just the random, odd dud... And frankly I am usually willing to give a first-time cigar the benefit of the doubt. But the truth of the matter is this: With so many brands to choose from, and cigar prices going up, cigar companies cannot afford to be putting out duds. So for now I have to give the Arganese Connecticut Presidente a poor rating.

Grade: C-

Good day sirs!